Water & Drain Lines

Water Lines

The water lines inside of your home are basically the veins and arteries that carry water from your municipal water supply or well water supply to each individual faucet or fixture in your home. Any break or pin-hole in any of these supply pipes can mean detrimental damage to your home as the lines are almost always installed before/behind the drywall.

Whether you’re installing new water lines, replacing old lines, or have a leak and need an urgent repair, we’re here to help with any of your water line needs.

What types of piping are in my home?

Depending on when your home was built there could be many types of piping in your home. Older homes may have galvanized water lines, which consists of galvanized metal and the pipes are screwed or threaded together and held together with galvanized fittings. These pipes corrode over time from the outside in and many times they can corrode to the point of almost shutting off flow completely. If you are in a home with galvanized piping and are experiencing reduced water flow, you may be in need of a replacement.

Some homes consist of copper piping for the water supply. Copper does not corrode the same way that galvanized piping does, however, depending on your water quality, copper can be susceptible to pin hole leaks caused by highly acidic water quality. The copper pipe can become very brittle and even make it difficult to repair.

Not too long ago, many builders used “Quest” or polybutylene piping for the home’s water supply. There are still active class action law suits regarding this type of piping as there have been many problems over the years with fittings breaking and the piping springing leaks throughout the system. Many times, when we see leaks in these systems, there are multiple leaks in the same areas. We have seen up to a dozen or more leaks within the same year in these systems. If you are noticing multiple leaks and you have this type of piping, it may be time to consider a full home re-pipe of your existing water lines.

PEX or CPVC piping are two of the more modern types of piping used more commonly in recent years. They have been a great, reliable alternative with the rising cost of copper over the last 10 years or so. PEX and CPVC are both installed with either glue or “crimped” fittings which provides a certain ease of installation when compared to using an open flame and having to solder or weld copper pipe and fittings.

Whether you have an active leak or slow drip, or are just unsure of how reliable the piping in your home is then give us a call. We can replace the entire water delivery system in your home or just certain sections at a time if that makes more sense for your specific situation. Feel free to call us anytime for a professional consultation!

Shut Off Valves

Every home has a variety of shut off valves in them, under sinks, behind toilets, outdoor faucets, on water heaters and, most importantly, your main water line shut off valve. Older homes will typically have gate valve style shut offs whereas newer homes or upgraded valves will use ball valve style shut offs. As you can see from the diagram provided gate valves are less efficient and we can tell you first hand that gate valves are notorious for failing….and never at a convenient time of course! A small home improvement purchase like upgrading your shut off valves can save you thousands of dollars in water damage and restoration services. We have created a new valve tagging service where our plumbing technician will come in and do a full inspection on all of your valves, ensure you know how to locate and turn on/off all of your valves, and tag your most important main shut off valve. Call us today to discuss how valve tagging can benefit your home and allow our technician to come out and tag and test your shut off valves now to avoid a disaster later!

Pressure Reducing Valves

These pressure reducing valves (PRV) are found on municipal water systems and are used to control the flow rate of your home’s water supply and the incoming pounds of pressure entering your main water line. Pressure supplied by municipalities are designed to produce water pressure high enough to support a variety of circumstances and in turn the pressure in water supply mains can be upwards of 200psi (lbs per square inch). Virginia codes require that pressure reducing valves be installed on municipal supply mains exceeding 80psi. Pressure exceeding this could not only damage your pipes and plumbing fixtures, but could be harmful to your loved ones using the water in your home. Call Junior’s today to schedule your PRV inspection to ensure you have a proper PRV installed on your main supply, and to test the psi and determine if your water supply is within Virginia code compliance laws.

Drain Lines

It goes without saying how important drain lines are in your home. Every fixture that delivers water in your home such as a faucet, shower or toilet also has a drain associated with it that carries the waste water away from the home and to a sewer system or a septic tank. Older homes used galvanized and cast iron drains and newer homes use ABS or PVC plastic drain lines.

There are many services that we offer which involve the drainage system in your home. We offer drain cleaning services, drain line repair, drain line relocation (when moving the location of a fixture) and even camera inspection services.

Do you have drainage issues?

Did you know that it’s not normal to have a drain repeatedly cleaned out? Recurring stoppages are often indicative of a much bigger issue like a break or a “belly” in the pipe. If you’re experiencing any drainage issues that have required repeated attention or cleanings, an interior inspection of your drain lines is the first step to a more permanent solution to your problem. We can literally put a small camera into your pipe to give us a real time view of what is going on inside. If you know that you have an issue, or are just unsure that a drain is performing the way that it should, feel free to contact us today for a professional consultation.

Snaking vs Hydro Jetting

Cleaning your drain pipes with a snake, or auger, can be costly if you don’t know what you’re doing and what to look and feel for while cleaning a drain line. If you’ve routinely snaked drain lines this is not common and can either indicate a much bigger issue, or that hydro jetting may be a better option for your particular situation. When running the snake cable through a drain pipe that’s clogged, if you are able to clear the clog, you are really only boring through the debris and waste on the inside of your pipes which leaves a lot behind and increases the chances of your stoppage returning. Hydro jetting is the most effective method of drain cleaning and as you can see from the diagram provided, the end result is much like power washing the interior of your drain pipe. Call our professional plumbers for an onsite inspection and we will tell you if we think cleaning your drains by snaking will be more cost effective or if you would benefit more from our hydro jetting services.